Film Review: Shazam! – 4 stars (out now)

After the darkness of the more recent DC Comics films, Shazam! injects some much-needed humour and a far lighter tone to the universe. This is a film that wants to have fun, and that’s achieved through a fantastic cast who all play their roles pitch-perfectly. Chuck star Zachary Levi leads the line as Shazam, an adult superhero that 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) transforms into after an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou) bestows onto him incredible powers. Those powers don’t go unnoticed by Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a man who was overlooked for this gift when he was a boy, and who now seeks to wield the power for nefarious means. Throw in a great ensemble and you have a brilliantly entertaining superhero caper that isn’t afraid to be funny.